Posts Tagged ‘splendid table’

[Editor’s note: I was listening to the NPR show Splendid Table over the weekend and learned about a program in Los Angeles that maps out fruit trees in several neighborhoods and leads community outings to discover (and harvest) that edible landscape. I show a color map above but it easily reproduces in grayscale by using direct annotation (Fi for fig, etc) to augment the hue color differences. The project remind me of an early mapping project I did for my father locating fruit trees in our small orchard. John has a related post on psychogeography maps.]

A SPECTER is haunting our cities: barren landscapes with foliage and flowers, but nothing to eat. Fruit can grow almost anywhere, and can be harvested by everyone. Our cities are planted with frivolous and ugly landscaping, sad shrubs and neglected trees, whereas they should burst with ripe produce. Great sums of money are spent on young trees, water and maintenance. While these trees are beautiful, they could be healthy, fruitful and beautiful.

WE ASK all of you to petition your cities and towns to support community gardens and only plant fruit-bearing trees in public parks. Let our streets be lined with apples and pears! Demand that all parking lots be landscaped with fruit trees which provide shade, clean the air and feed the people.

FALLEN FRUIT is a mapping and manifesto for all the free fruit we can find. Every day there is food somewhere going to waste. We encourage you to find it, tend and harvest it. If you own property, plant food on your perimeter. Share with the world and the world will share with you. Barter, don’t buy! Give things away! You have nothing to lose but your hunger!